Bethel Counterpoint
Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 1:48 pm
The church I attend was having a worship and prayer night last night, and I was doing my usual of sitting in the back. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the service, I'm just one who enjoys it from a private spot of contemplation and prayer rather than overt, front row visibility.
Personally, I've been in a short time of discouragement and reflection regarding some persecution issues in my life. Over the first 30 minutes of the service I read the first several chapters of Acts, and considered the shaking of the room in Acts 4 as the people prayed for boldness.
Its been awhile since I have experienced the voice of God or seen a visual move by him in some manner - and I'm ok with that, I don't find myself needing such things although I enjoy when they occur. In my discouragement, I prayed that perhaps God could give me a sign that he is with me in the place I am at, and could boost my confidence that I'm heading in the right direction on some things by bringing a physical shaking like what happened in Acts.
In the middle of my prayer that God might offer me reassurance through a physical sign such as the room shaking, a young man I had never met came into the church right then, walked over beside me, and commenced jumping up and down so violently that the floor under me flexed and shook. Ironically, my reaction was to be perturbed at this person coming in and interrupting my private time. Then a thought invaded my head that I was just in the middle of asking God to let me experience a physical shaking as a sign and then this began to happen.
The young man stopped jumping after what was really several seconds, and walked away to take a seat.
Now, some Christian friends of mine would chalk this up to coincidence since they do not believe God moves in such ways, other personal friends of mine say it is actually demonic because God would not do such a silly thing.
There is no way to prove necessarily what it was or was not. However, I do believe it was divinely orchestrated.
I provide this testimony as a counterbalance to my Bethel thread to offer that charismatic events can occur and one does not need to steal tuning forks or grounding shoes from the occult to "make" them happen, nor does one have to go jump onto the latest charismania movement to try and experience them. You can quietly sit in the back and God will reach you.
Personally, I've been in a short time of discouragement and reflection regarding some persecution issues in my life. Over the first 30 minutes of the service I read the first several chapters of Acts, and considered the shaking of the room in Acts 4 as the people prayed for boldness.
Its been awhile since I have experienced the voice of God or seen a visual move by him in some manner - and I'm ok with that, I don't find myself needing such things although I enjoy when they occur. In my discouragement, I prayed that perhaps God could give me a sign that he is with me in the place I am at, and could boost my confidence that I'm heading in the right direction on some things by bringing a physical shaking like what happened in Acts.
In the middle of my prayer that God might offer me reassurance through a physical sign such as the room shaking, a young man I had never met came into the church right then, walked over beside me, and commenced jumping up and down so violently that the floor under me flexed and shook. Ironically, my reaction was to be perturbed at this person coming in and interrupting my private time. Then a thought invaded my head that I was just in the middle of asking God to let me experience a physical shaking as a sign and then this began to happen.
The young man stopped jumping after what was really several seconds, and walked away to take a seat.
Now, some Christian friends of mine would chalk this up to coincidence since they do not believe God moves in such ways, other personal friends of mine say it is actually demonic because God would not do such a silly thing.
There is no way to prove necessarily what it was or was not. However, I do believe it was divinely orchestrated.
I provide this testimony as a counterbalance to my Bethel thread to offer that charismatic events can occur and one does not need to steal tuning forks or grounding shoes from the occult to "make" them happen, nor does one have to go jump onto the latest charismania movement to try and experience them. You can quietly sit in the back and God will reach you.